By According to the Amputee Coalition, there are nearly 2 million people in the U.S. who are living with limb loss (1). What many people who don’t have limb loss may not realize is that most of them go on to experience post-amputation chronic pain. Researchers over the years continue to look for treatments to help those who experience the long-term pain. Thus researches for management of chronic post-amputation pain came.
In a new study published in the May 2020 issue of the Rhode Island Medical Journal, researchers estimated that 95% of people with amputations experience pain (2). There are two types of pain that amputee patients may experience, and they may experience one or both of them.
The other kind is known as phantom limb pain, which is pain that is coming from the part of the limb that has been amputated. In their study to determine what types of treatments are used in the management of post-amputation pain, they found that most of the pain people feel is phantom limb pain, which is related to the nervous system. Helping manage post-amputation pain has variety of treatment options. Some of the most common includes prescription medications in management of chronic post-amputation Pain, which includes:
- Antidepressants
- Opioids
- Gabepentin
Some of the most common include prescription medications, which including antidepressants, opioids, and gabepentin. Used as an alternative drugs are local anesthetics.
In addition to the prescription medications, those who have post-amputation pain may explore such treatment options as mirror visual feedback and behavioral therapy.
Additionally, there are surgical options and neuromodulatory treatment options available. In another new study published in the March 2020 issue of the journal Pain Practice, researchers set out to identify the factors that affect pain intensity in those who have chronic pain from lower limb amputations (3).
Two risk factors for having more post-amputation pain were
- person’s age
- whether or not they had pain before the amputation took place.
The area of study for post-amputation pain continues to provide answers, as well as additional treatment options. Discuss the options with your doctor to determine which option may be the right pain management option for you.
Sources:
- Amputee Coalition. Limb loss statistics. https://www.amputee-coalition.org/resources/limb-loss-statistics/
- Rhode Island Medical Journal. Management of Post-amputation pain. May 2020.
http:// https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32357588 - Pain Practice. Protective and Risk Factors of Phantom Limb Pain and Residual Limb Pain. March https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32176435
